Yard Service Recommendation

Hi,
At some point in the past several months, my backyard has turned from a dry patch of dead grass into a terminal mud puddle--with northern exposure on the back of the house we get no sun back there to dry up the water. I need to get grass to grow there again.
I think part of the problem is that rainwater drains from my neighbor's house as well as my own into my yard, thus doubling the amount of water through my yard. My (dead) grass seems to be mostly thatch over a layer of sod which is itself just slapped down on top of dense red clay -- nothing under the sod for the grass to really grow into.

Questions:
1. Can I request of the HOA/modifications committee that my neighbor's roof runoff drain into HIS yard, not mine? I mean, really, WTF? WTFingF?! I'm thinking I might run the downspouts underground and put bubblers down the end of my yard. I'd REALLY like to set up a rainwater reclamation barrel but they're not allowed yet, are they?

2. Can anyone recommend a yard/lawn company to get grass growing in the backyard again? I planted some rescued cedars back therein November that are doing REALLY well (yay!) but they look so out of place in my backyard marshland.
OR... can anyone recommend a course of action to get grass growing again back there? I'm thinking it needs aeration (evidenced by water not soaking into ground but sitting on top of it and making mud), a seeding, and a cover to protect the grass seeds from foragers until they sprout (like hay or one of them green lawn mats). And, when would I begin this work, soon as it stops getting cold?

Hi,
2. Can anyone recommend a yard/lawn company to get grass growing in the backyard again? I planted some rescued cedars back therein November that are doing REALLY well (yay!) but they look so out of place in my backyard marshland.
OR... can anyone recommend a course of action to get grass growing again back there? I'm thinking it needs aeration (evidenced by water not soaking into ground but sitting on top of it and making mud), a seeding, and a cover to protect the grass seeds from foragers until they sprout (like hay or one of them green lawn mats). And, when would I begin this work, soon as it stops getting cold?

Thanks for any advice!

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After cheaping out on my first attempt and failing, I'm now using Natura-lawn out of Leesburg (703-779-0172). They charged me a hefty $275 to aerate and overseed, but they use a real high quality seed mix that's showing good results. I'm guessing April is the right time to lay seed, but any reputable operation should be able to coach you on timing. A nice side benefit of these guys is that, should you choose to use them for fertilization service, they use kid-friendly chemicals.

If this is not normal for you, you may want to be sure that you (or your neighbor) don't have a water leak. We had the same thing happen to use 2 years ago. We dismissed it because it was at the bottom of a hill, and also happened to be in the summer and where the water drained after the neighbors sprinkler system ran. It got so bad that we were ready to put in a water garden! Turns out it was a broken pipe. Check your last water bill, just in case.

If this is not normal for you, you may want to be sure that you (or your neighbor) don't have a water leak. We had the same thing happen to use 2 years ago. We dismissed it because it was at the bottom of a hill, and also happened to be in the summer and where the water drained after the neighbors sprinkler system ran. It got so bad that we were ready to put in a water garden! Turns out it was a broken pipe. Check your last water bill, just in case.

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Good idea, I'll re-check the bills, but I don't recall any increase last time around.
I just moved in here last August, so I have no clue if it's normal. The grass in the yard was mostly dead when we moved in but it was dry (from the drought and the summer sun actually dried the yard when it rained), so I didn't know about the mudpit thing until the late Fall and Winter rain/snowmelt set in without any sunshine in the back to dry it up during the daytime.

We have a similar situation at the back of our yard in that it gets our runoff as well as our rear neighbor's, but ours DOES get the afternoon sun and still stays wet. If you are absolutely set on grass back there then i can't help you, but what we did is (hire a landscaper to) take the lowest corner, pull up the grass, add some bushes and perennials that like lots of water, grade a little "river" that drains to the drain in our neighbor's yard and put river rock in there. It was forever soggy, growing mosquitos and I just couldn't take it any more. I now love it!

that's exactly what we set out to do when we found out about the leak. we were going to plant european cranberry bushes and add river rocks (the water bog was an alternative that my husband wasn't thrilled with!). i have a list that bluemont recommended for us there. i'm happy to dig it up if you'd like to know about other options.

We have a similar situation at the back of our yard in that it gets our runoff as well as our rear neighbor's, but ours DOES get the afternoon sun and still stays wet. If you are absolutely set on grass back there then i can't help you, but what we did is (hire a landscaper to) take the lowest corner, pull up the grass, add some bushes and perennials that like lots of water, grade a little "river" that drains to the drain in our neighbor's yard and put river rock in there. It was forever soggy, growing mosquitos and I just couldn't take it any more. I now love it!